Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is
self-published or published by a corporate publisher. In some fields of
publishing, such as
fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement. In other fields — such as
comic books,
recorded music, or
motion pictures — creator ownership has traditionally been uncommon, with either
work for hire or publisher purchase of the material being standard practice.